


Like A Summer Breeze

by shadedScribe



Series: Sword and Sorcerystuck [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, I can't believe June doesn't have any proper tags yet, She deserves it!, Trans John Egbert, Trans Vriska Serket, the concept of transphobia is like briefly considered, trans june egbert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22330903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadedScribe/pseuds/shadedScribe
Summary: June Egbert, and figuring things out.
Relationships: Beta Kids family
Series: Sword and Sorcerystuck [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607413
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Like A Summer Breeze

**Author's Note:**

> This one is part of a series set in a fantasy verse based on the Pathfinder RPG, but if you're just on a June binge, you can probably get away with reading just this. TL;DR from the previous bit; The trolls are leading a rebellion against Alternia, and the kids are helping, because they're cool like that, and also there was some foreshadowing for June. Happy reading!

John Egbert crept carefully up the side of a steep stone ridge in the dead of night, following Vriska, with Terezi and a few other members of Vriska’s crew (all girls, funnily enough) behind him. They were trying to sneak into the Alternian outpost above in order to steal some highly valuable documents before the small rebel fleet group that they were leading attacked the base (paper wasn’t very reliable when it came to surviving explosions and fire, after all). As they slipped up to a side door with only one guard, John tossed a rock past him, and Vriska silently slit his throat as he turned to look at the sound. Classic.

As one of the crew picked the lock, Vriska turned to the rest of them.

“Alright ladies, and John too, I guess-”

John lost track of what Vriska had to say after that because he was too busy feeling weird. Almost like a pit in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why, it’s not like he was a girl, right? Maybe he just didn’t like feeling left out? But that was silly, so-

“Hey John, are you there?” Terezi shook him out of his reverie.

“Oh, sorry, just got distracted for a moment.” John shook his head to clear it. “What were we talking about?”

“Honestly.” Vriska rolled her eyes. “Just get over by the main gate and start making a ruckus when Terezi signals you.”

“Ruckus, got it.”

John slipped around the side wall while the rest of them got in the door. He wasn’t particularly stealthy, but it was night, and you could be surprisingly quiet just by hovering a little instead of walking.

A minute or two of tense waiting later, and the weird sort of cooing snarl that Terezi insisted was what a baby dragon sounded like echoed over the walls in signal.

“Hey, is anyone home?” John yelled, and started hammering on the gate. Three blows was enough to knock even the heavy, metal-banded oak off of its hinges.

“Knock knock! Special delivery from the rebellion!” Gods, it was fun making a ruckus. People were starting to run around yelling in panic, and a few guards were rushing at John with spears, though a few swings of the hammer was enough to deal with that. Some of the enemy archers finally got their stuff together and started shooting, so John took to the skies, looping and ducking, occasionally dipping down to swat somebody off of a wall. 

“I’m still up here! Missed me! Keep trying, you’ll get it eventually!”

After another minute or so of flying and taunting, John saw the rest of the party slipping unnoticed out of the door they had come in by, Terezi waving jauntily at him. He kept up the flying for a little while longer to give them time to get away, then swooped upwards.

“I’ve gotta go now, but it’s been fun! See ya!”

Soaring jauntily above a last few arrows, John flew up until he was out of sight, taking a moment to do a celebratory loop through a cloud and enjoy the feel of the breeze in his long hair, before diving down to catch up with Vriska and the others, hovering alongside their boat as they made their way back to the Arachne.

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, John,” said Vriska, “that was one hell of a ruckus.”

“Thanks. Did you get the stuff?”

“Yep. Troop dispositions, news from the front, and all of the most recent orders from the Condesce.”

“Nice.”

Soon they were back at the Arachne, the ship’s dark blue paneling and sails blending into the night as it slipped towards the outpost, the special cannon Jade had built at the front already tilted forward and up in anticipation.

As they boarded the ship, and Vriska started barking orders, Terezi pulled John aside.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“What? Yeah, none of those arrows got within five feet of me.” answered John.

“Not like that, I mean when you were spacing out earlier. You do that a bunch. Is there something on your mind?”

“No? I mean maybe?”

Terezi kept her unseeing gaze locked on John for a moment. John sighed and continued.

“I don’t know, sometimes when people talk about girls or girl stuff comes up, I get a weird feeling or something. But it’s fine.”

Terezi cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

“I mean it! I’m used to it, and it’s just some weird thing I do for no reason. It’s not like I’m a girl, after all.”

Terezi paused diplomatically before speaking.

“Are you _sure_ about that? I mean, have you ever sat down and had a good hard think about it?”

John thought for a moment. 

“No, I guess not.”

“Maybe you should?” Terezi suggested. “If it’s bothering you in the middle of mission briefings, it might be worth the time. Just something to think about.”

John’s head cocked thoughtfully as Terezi walked away.

\--------

Of course, it wound up being a while before John actually managed to think about it. Being an important part of the rebellion’s most elite naval strike force kept you really busy, it turned out. 

Right after talking to Terezi, they wound up leading the real attack on that outpost, which went perfectly. Then, with the intel they had snagged from the stealthy bit, they ambushed an Alternian supply convoy, counter-ambushed an Alternian customs unit that was going after a rebel supply convoy, and surprised some enemy engineers who were trying to discreetly set up a small naval base that they could stage attacks on Jade’s island from. Also, they robbed a bank, because Vriska had spotted an Alternian one while she and John were bringing some loot to a black market shop and said ‘why not’. It ended up in a ridiculous sequence where John pushed a giant cart of money down a big hill while Vriska sat on top and used up half of her spell slots casting Coin Shot to pelt their pursuers with all of the least valuable coins.

It was in the aftermath of that particular escapade, as the two of them sat in the captain’s cabin on the Arachne, that something came up that made John think about what Terezi had said again. Vriska, still flush with victory, was telling all sorts of stories from her younger days (a disturbing number of which ended up with people being killed and maimed, John had to say). She was just finishing up an adorable anecdote about a time when she had been a little kid and committed a few counts of aggravated assault.

“Of course, that was before the imperial records caught up with my transition,” she was saying, “so he spent like a week combing over every inch of the wrong dormitory. It was fucking hilarious watching him steam!”

“Wait, caught up with what?” John asked.

“My transition. You know, for when you’re trans?”

“Oh. Duh.” John was suddenly reminded of that talk with Terezi.

“Got a problem with that?” Vriska asked, a little sharply.

“No, no, no. I was just… can I ask you some things?”

Vriska raised an eyebrow.

“Go for it.”

John paused a bit before speaking. “What made you, I don’t know, realize?”

Vriska thought for a moment.

“It wasn’t any one thing, you know?” she said. “I just always kind of felt wrong about it sometimes. As soon as I was old enough to understand what gender was, I kept finding myself attracted to things that people said were for girls. I didn’t like being called a boy, and I didn’t like the things that came with people treating me like one, and one day I just sat down and went, ‘hey, why can’t I be a girl?’ And that was that.”

John took that in for a moment. Some of it sounded familiar.

“And people didn’t, um, mind?”

“No one who mattered. Everyone who was a real friend of mine was just accepting, or even glad. It was fulfilling for me, and they were happy to see me happier. Outside of that, there were a few losers who had a problem with me, but, well…”

Vriska’s hand brushed fondly over the hilt of her sabre.

“They got over it.”

John stood up.

“Thanks, Vriska. Sorry to skip out on you, but I think I might have some things to think about.”

“Anytime.”

John walked out the door, got under the open sky, and made a beeline for the clouds. There was indeed some thinking to do.

\--------------

So. Was John Egbert a girl? John had never had to think about it too much before, or maybe just never had the idea to try. A master of repression, Rose had said before, half jokingly. 

It wasn’t like John was miserable being a boy or anything. It just felt a little weird sometimes. Nothing that couldn’t be handled. 

Except maybe not, if it was happening enough for other people to notice (even if Terezi _was_ awfully perceptive).

And did you have to be miserable to want to change, even? John wouldn’t have thought it was possible for Roxy to be more cheerful than before, but ever since they had decided to try experimenting with identity, they somehow were. Could John be happier too?

Keep it simple. Like Vriska said; why can’t I be a girl?

Well, some people might have a problem with it. But John didn’t have to worry about random people who had a problem with it, on account of being a powerful adventurer and stuff. And it didn’t pay to let assholes tell you what to do with yourself anyhow. So, it was just the people who were important to worry about. 

And everyone had been eager to give their support to Roxy, so clearly there wasn’t a problem there. But John didn’t want to disappoint anyone or screw anything up. Would Dave be okay with John not being his ‘bro’? Would Jade be upset? She had said how she had always wanted a brother when they found out that they were related. (John had never quite been able to get a hundred percent behind that. Had the ‘brother’ bit been the sticking point this whole time?)

But they had been through so much together. There was no way John was ever going to lose them. Especially not over something like this.

So then, the question was simple. Did John want to be a girl? 

There was definitely something appealing in the idea, now that it had come up. Of course, thinking back, John had always found a certain enjoyment in some things. There had been the ‘dressing up as a girl all the time to play pranks’ phase, which, in hindsight, wow. Learning to paint fingernails with Rose had been nice. John was rather fond of having longer hair, too. But taking the full plunge? Would that be satisfying?

Well, only one way to find out.

As the Arachne made one last stop at a small city on the way back to Jade’s island the next day, John slipped away. A quick visit to an unattended clothesline later, and a dress was obtained. Not John’s usual style, of course, but good for a test run. Put it on, let the hair down, nails painted (a nice dark blue, courtesy of Vriska), and it was time to try and run a few errands and see how it went. After stepping into the first shop and waiting by the counter, John (maybe a name change would be in order soon?) got the shopkeep’s attention.

“Can I help you, miss?” she asked. Oh. _Oh._ The rest of that interaction, and all of the others, went by in a haze of delight. It felt like flying with the wind on a summer’s day. That settled it, then.

She was never going back.

\----------------

As the Arachne slipped into dock at Jade’s island, she reached up to the magic gem in her necklace to call Rose, Dave, and Jade, asking to talk privately. A few minutes later, the four of them were all in Jade’s bedroom.

“Is there something you needed to talk to us about?” Rose asked.

No sense drawing it out. Deep breath.

“Guys, I’ve been having some thoughts lately, and well.” She braced a little.

“I’m pretty sure I’m a girl.”

There was a moment’s silence as everyone took that in.

And then Jade made an inarticulate noise of startled glee and dove over to crush her in a big hug.

“Ohmygosh, really?! That’s great! If there’s anything I can do to help, you just let me know!”

“Well, I’ll be.” Dave reached over for a friendly pat on the shoulder, then changed his mind and joined the hug.

“You guys are okay with it, then?”

“Why the hell wouldn’t we be?” said Dave, confused.

“Well, I remembered what Jade had said about wanting a brother…”

“I always wanted a sister too, you know!” said Jade. “Geez, I should have been more careful what I said, if that was giving you trouble.”

“You’ll always be my bro.” Dave confirmed. “In spirit, anyway, if you don’t want me calling you that-”

“Rather you didn’t.”

“It’s dropped, um, sis.”

“Congratulations.” Rose had joined the hug, a knowing smile on her face.

“Wait.” She had to ask. “Did you know?”

Rose made a ‘sort of’ hand gesture.

“I suspected, especially after the fingernail painting evening. But I didn’t wish to be pushy over something so sensitive, or make you think that I was just joking around about psychology the way I do sometimes. In hindsight, I could perhaps have been more helpful. My apologies.”

“Hey, it worked out fine.”

“That it did.” Rose smiled wider. “Is there a different name you would like us to call you now, by the way?”

“Yeah, actually.” She’d had time to think about it on the way over. “I’m gonna go with June.”

“June Egbert. It’s lovely.”

“June!” Jade’s hug was now threatening to crack ribs.

“June’s cool.” Dave broke off the hug to offer a fistbump. “You’ve got good taste in names.”

June laughed in delight. 

“Thanks, you guys.” she said.

“You don’t have to thank us for not being assholes, you know.” said Jade.

“Yeah, but still.”

“And if there’s any other changes you might want to make that would help you feel more like yourself, just let me know.” Rose said. “My magic can help.”

“Alright.” June leaned back. She really had been worried over nothing, huh. She stood up, gently, disentangling Jade. 

“There’s some more people I should go and talk to. You guys with me?”

The three of them fell in behind her as she left the room.

“Always.”

\----------------

The next few rounds of coming out all went as well as the first, happily. Dad had crushed her in a hug and nearly enveloped the house in pink in a frenetic burst of supportiveness before June reassured him that her favorite color was still blue. Roxy had immediately declared the two of them Trans Buddies, and Jane, Jake, and Dirk had all been supportive too. June kept reintroducing herself to everyone, and nobody raised any objections. Kanaya even volunteered to fit her for a few new outfits, which was awfully nice of her. All in all, June hadn’t felt this happy since that first heady rush of finding her friends and setting out for their destiny together.

Now, she was getting ready to set out to sea again, feeling fresher and readier than ever. As the mooring lines were thrown off, she climbed on board, all decked out in one of the new outfits Kanaya had made for her.

“Looking good, June!” Vriska called down from the helm.

“Yeah, but are you sure want to go flying around a battle in a skirt?” Terezi asked.

“It’s fine, it’s a combat skirt. It’s got a weighted hem and leather and everything, and I’ve got shorts on too. Kanaya did a really good job. I’ve got to keep an eye out for something nice I can steal her as a thank you.”

“June, please.” Terezi flashed one of her pointy-teethed grins. “We’re not thieves, we’re soldiers. We _plunder_ things.”

“Good point.” Say, that reminded her. 

“You know, I never got around to thanking you.” June said. “For giving me a little push into thinking about it.”

“It was nothing.” Terezi said. “You just looked like you could use it.”

“Yeah.” She sighed happily and looked out at the horizon as the two of them climbed up to join Vriska.

“You all ready to go?” Vriska asked her.

“Aye aye, captain.” said June, cheekily. “You know, I’d better put some more effort in on this one. Make a name for myself a bit so people know that I’m June now.”

“Shouldn’t be that hard,” said Vriska, “considering I had never heard of you before we met. You and your friends are surprisingly obscure, considering how powerful you all are.”

June shrugged. 

“That’s what we get for having all of our best adventures in other dimensions, I guess.”

“That must be it. Well, our first stop is a morale-damaging raid on one of the provincial capitals. Should be a good opportunity.”

“Hell yeah.” June turned and faced the wind, hair streaming behind her. It was going to be great.


End file.
